Punjabi pop king Daler Mehndi landed in a massive controversy after Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal walked straight onto the stage and stopped his performance mid-show at the Kunjapuri Mela in Tehri district.
The minister grabbed the mic from Mehndi and publicly reprimanded him, accusing him of being intoxicated and fooling the audience with lip-syncing at a religious festival.
“Bol toh jaa nahi raha, gaana kya gaoge?” Uniyal thundered on stage, adding that performing under the influence of alcohol during such a sacred occasion was a direct insult to religious sentiments!
“We paid so much money to invite you so our people could be entertained. But you’re fooling them,” the minister said, as the stunned crowd watched the drama unfold.
The performance was abruptly halted, and videos of the confrontation have since gone viral, triggering a fierce debate on social media.
MEANWHILE
Music fraternity roars for Daler
While many backed the minister’s public rebuke, other well-known singers & actors from the industry have questioned whether humiliating an artist on stage was the right way to handle it!
· Younger brother Mika Singh has come out in defence. He rubbished the alcohol allegations and blamed his elder brother’s condition on ill health, revealing that Daler had recently undergone a serious surgery. “It has been spread in the media that Daler Mehndi was drunk while singing… I want to ask you all: he is a superstar for the last 30 years; has anyone ever seen him drinking?”
· Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma also stepped in, sharing, “All we need to do is to be kinder towards others… We don’t know what someone is going through,” Kapil posted.
· Singer Harshdeep Kaur called Mehndi “a legend” and said he clearly did seem unwell on stage, because “otherwise when on stage, he not just sings, he roars.”
· Popstar Alisha Chinai went a step further in Mika Singh’s comments section. “Daler Mehndi did not need to prove that he can sing to anyone or seek any validation,” Alisha wrote, adding that everyone uses backing vocals and minus-one tracks on shows. “How dare someone come onstage and insult him in this manner. It speaks of tasteless behaviour and reflects poorly on the minister…” she fumed.
· Anupam Kher was absolutely firm on Daler’s character. “I have known him for the last 20-30 years and I can say that he does not drink. As far as I know, he is one of the finest human beings that I have met,” Kher said. Kher also revealed, through their mutual friend Dr Joe, that Mehndi has not been keeping well for the past two to three years. He suggested the singer may have still turned up and honoured his commitment to the organisers despite his health concerns, calling it a true mark of professionalism.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
